Shattered
by Aellae
Summary: A week at boring summer French camp turns out to be much, much more when a certain individual finds herself at the back of the bus with a socially inept mess, and takes her breath away.


Day 2

The door swung shut behind me as I slipped out of my sneakers and massaged my aching feet. It was the 2nd day in Quebec City for this French program (or as I like to call it, Baguette Boot Camp.) I'd met some folks yesterday, none of which really peaked my interest. They were friendly, but that's about it.  
I looked around my dorm room again. It was simple and small; it consisted of two uncomfortable beds on either side, a vanity with a broken light and a couple shelves. I'd have to say that my favourite part of the room was the window which displayed a large oak tree, and an illuminated underground parking ramp across the street. To me, the scenery was beautiful. What was so beautiful about it? I don't know, it was though. Maybe it reminded me of home. I'd just plastered my name onto the front of my door as instructed, probably using more tape than necessary. I'd never been one to get creative with name writing, so while others had flashy bubble letters, hearts and explosions, mine was a simple print and a little smile drawn into the last letter.  
Curfew was 10:00, and it was 9:45. As I undressed, I heard multiple sets of footsteps approaching my door. One sound caught my attention. It was gentle and lovely and missed the higher notes but was definitely female. It rose above the other voices as I sensed that she'd stopped in front of my door.  
"Hey, look, she's got the same name as me!" She called out happily. "I must be the alpha!" A defiant laugh before continuing her march down the long corridor.  
I had found it difficult to stifle my soft chuckles. I'd just have to see about that later. As the mirth ebbed, I was left with the realization that no, I might not see about that later. I recalled my introverted nature and social awkwardness and settled into bed that night feeling shameful. The girl sounded the complete opposite of me, and my thoughts were shrouded with envy even before she'd stepped through my door.

Day 3

A day had passed, and I had somehow found myself in a small circle of friends. They had approached me after I had been awkwardly cast to the far corners of social normalcy.  
We were heading onto the city bus. I greeted the driver, swiped my card and clung to a pole near the back of the bus like a lifeline. My footing tended to be a little unpredictable at times like these, so I tried to get as far away from feet I could trip on as possible.  
Hearing a familiar voice call out my name, I looked up after readying my stance for the bumpy ride to see my friend approaching me. Standing at least 5 inches shorter, I had to lower my gaze to meet hers as she addressed me. "Hey, I found the other you!" She chortled as she shoved her thumb behind her, to where a girl was following close behind-  
Wait.  
Oh. My. God.  
My breath hitched at the sight of this beautiful, beautiful thing standing right before me. Her platinum blonde hair was pulled into a messy bun, and loose strands framed her lovely face. Her eyes were a gorgeous shade of blue that instantly reminded me of a hot summer sky. Cloudless, radiant, cornflower blue.  
She had the faintest smattering of freckles over her cheeks and the corners of her mouth were pulled into a polite smirk as she noticed me staring-  
 _Wait, I'm staring.  
_ My throat dry, I attempted to swallow as I felt my face flush a bright, off-putting crimson.  
"Hi," She smiled sweetly as my gaze immediately shot to the floor. Shuffling my feet, I mumbled a hello and managed a quick smile before my panic completely consumed me and I couldn't help toying with my hair as I already felt my eyes burning slightly. God, why did it have to be this hard just to _talk_ to people?  
I cringed inwardly as she tried to initiate a conversation, _like a normal human being,_ but it's kind of hard to have a talk with someone about as interesting as an empty box of crayons.  
She eventually resigned to silence as well, and we rode out the rest of the trip with the tension hanging in the air, getting thicker by the second.  
I wasn't usually this bad with people. Usually, I could answer casual questions, and smile warmly, and do normal things without imploding. I didn't understand what effect she had on me, but it certainly made me feel like a deer caught in headlights. But, somehow, in a good way.  
I just about jumped high enough to hit my head on the ceiling when she placed her hand on my shoulder and steered me away from the doors, which were opening to let passengers out. I hadn't even realized we'd stopped. I'd been trying to tame my blush which had deepened at the mere thought of the enigma standing 2 feet away from me.  
Her touch felt cool, and was so pleasant that I had to resist grabbing her wrist to keep it there. I'm sure she was just as startled when I instead yelped and jumped from the contact before backing into some poor elder who had found herself standing right in front of the flushed and flailing catastrophe that is me.  
 _God damn, I'm such a wreck today.  
Not like that's different from any other day.  
_Winded from my own reaction, I cast a hopefully reassuring smile in _her_ direction before twisting through the mass of bodies and towards the exit, the entirety of my strained façade engulfed in red hot fire.

Day 4

Another day. Same old routine. Wake up extra early so that counsellors don't have to bust through my door while I'm hanging off my bed wearing purple reindeer bear pajama bottoms. Dress, eat shitty breakfast. Don't actually eat the breakfast. Get on the bus, go to planned location. Speak French. Or at least try.  
However, today was different. Instead of getting through the routine at a slow trot, I couldn't wipe the stupid grin off my stupid face. I thought I regretted coming to this God-forsaken camp. But no, I don't regret it.  
 _I don't regret it at all.  
_ I felt like a friggin' Disney princess the entire day, like Prince Charming had come to sweep me off my feet. When, in reality, the only thing that had swept me off my clumsy feet was the parade of impatient camp-goers on that hot and sweaty bus yesterday.  
But then again, I'd met _her_ there, so to me it seemed like the most magical place in the entire world.  
First-class trip to London alongside David Tennant and the entire cast of _Supernatural?  
_ No thanks, I'd have taken that bus any day of the week.  
Jesus Christ, you'd think after that holocaust I'd be lined up for execution in the morning, but no. I was bright and chipper and for a fleeting moment I felt really, really _happy._

 _She probably thinks I'm a complete sociopath._

I had to go talk to her. I had to go track her down, wherever she was, and set things straight. I couldn't go the rest of my week suffering heart palpitations without even speaking to her properly first.  
It was nearing the end of the day, and the lackluster evening that had slipped by had proved to be nothing useful.  
 _Wait, tomorrow's the big Rolling Stones concert! She'll definitely be there._  
Just as the thought had entered my mind, I had already begun mapping out the area for maximum effectiveness in my search.  
 _Now all that's left to do is wait until tomorrow. Tomorrow isn't that far away.  
Right?_


End file.
